What Pregnant Women Should Know About Fifth Disease

This common childhood illness is usually mild in kids, but it can pose a serious danger to pregnant women and their unborn babies. Here's what you should know.

By Kathy Sena

A Playground Illness

During school outbreaks (late winter and early spring), 10 to 60 percent of students may get fifth disease. It is spread like most colds, via coughing, sneezing and inadequate hand-washing. However, most children generally don't get very ill.

"Oftentimes, the symptoms are so similar to the flu, which is why it's important to have a doctor diagnose it if we suspect a child has it," says veteran school nurse Fetheresa Maderazo, R.N.

Maderazo says fifth disease is not common in all schools, but there are some schools that experience recurrent outbreaks.

"It's not one of those diseases that we can explain why it happens more at certain schools," she says. "But once we know that fifth disease is present, we send a school-wide notice home to parents, educating them about the disease. We take special precautions with the kids who have low immune systems. And," she adds, "if we have a staff member who's pregnant, we send her home, too."

The most important step that schools can take is to educate parents about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment - especially families with moms who are pregnant, Maderazo says.

Despite its strange name, fifth disease is no big deal for most kids. But it can lead to serious, and even fatal, complications for an unborn child if the mother contracts this disease.

Every pregnant woman should be aware of the risks of contracting fifth disease and should see her doctor promptly if she thinks she may have been exposed, experts say. If an expectant mom was exposed to an infected person during the contagious stage of the illness (generally 24 to 48 hours before symptoms begin to manifest), her doctor may recommend a blood test to determine whether she has had fifth disease in the past and is immune, or if she currently has it.

Fifth disease is a usually mild illness spread by airborne respiratory droplets, according to the March of Dimes. The illness is caused by human parvovirus B19. It got its name years ago when it appeared fifth in a list of what were considered the common causes of childhood rash and fever.

In a household, as many as 50 percent of susceptible persons exposed to a family member with fifth disease may become infected. ("Susceptible," in this case, means the person hasn't already had fifth disease and become immune.) Symptoms appear between four and 14 days after exposure. Fifth disease causes a distinctive "slapped-cheek" rash and, less commonly, a mild fever, cold-like symptoms, headache, sore throat and joint pain. Infected adults often experience joint pain and swelling, and they are less likely to develop a rash. Sometimes they experience mild flu-like symptoms.


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